U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister walks through Statuary Hall in the Capitol after casting a vote Tuesday on the House floor. / Deborah Barfield Berry/Gannett

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WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Vance McAllister of Louisiana said Tuesday he won’t resign, even though Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor told him earlier that day he should.

McAllister, who returned to the Capitol on Monday after weeks back in the 5th District, met with Cantor in the majority leader’s office early Tuesday at Cantor’s request.

“I respectfully disagree with him, and my family is behind my decision,’’ McAllister said in a statement. “I do not feel it’s in my constituents’ best interest to leave them without representation for the second time in less than a year.’’

McAllister, who is married, was videotaped kissing a married staffer in his congressional office in Monroe in December. A local newspaper recently posted the video online.

McAllister has rejected calls from Louisiana Republican leaders that he resign, but he said Monday he won’t seek re-election.

Cantor is the first congressional leader to say publicly that he told McAllister he should resign.

“When we took the majority, I had said that I believe we ought to hold ourselves to a higher standard,’’ Cantor told Politico Tuesday. “And I think what has happened in his instance doesn't meet that standard. So I told (McAllister) that I thought he should resign."

Earlier this month, House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders said in response to the scandal involving McAllister that they expected lawmakers to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

McAllister called his return to Washington “bittersweet.’’

“With everything that went on, you know, you just got to face your consequences,’’ McAllister told the Gannett Washington Bureau on Tuesday. “But when I walk in this Capitol, I always think about the people who sent me, and that’s what I’m here for.’’

McAllister said he wants to continue to be a “voice’’ for the district. He missed several votes after the scandal broke and didn’t return to Washington until Monday. Tuesday was his first full day back in the Capitol.

As McAllister made his way through a Capitol Hill tunnel to cast a vote in the House chamber, Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., tapped him on the back in greeting.

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Another Republican colleague who serves with McAllister on the House Natural Resources Committee shook his hand outside the chamber. McAllister greeted Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois in an elevator and the two talked about the weather.

Without mentioning his conversation with Cantor about resigning, McAllister said he has been well-received by his colleagues.

“They’ve welcomed me back, told me they’ve been thinking and praying for me,’’ he said. “They’ve been very supportive.’’

McAllister said members of both parties have supported him since he arrived in the House last year after winning a special election to replace former Republican Rep. Rodney Alexander. He particularly noted his relationship with Rep. Cedric Richmond, the only Democrat in the Louisiana delegation.

“This has been a personal matter, not a political matter,’’ McAllister said of the kissing scandal. “It’s just a shame how some people have turned it into trying to be all about politics.’’

He also said he has had “a special relationship” with Cantor. On Tuesday, he said, “we just talked about what I’ve been through and where I’m at, what I’m doing moving forward and just being supportive as a friend more than a colleague.’’

McAllister said he agrees congressional lawmakers “should be held to higher standard” and admitted that “I fell short of that.”

“I’ve got to work to show that that is the person that I am, and we all make mistakes,’’ he said.

No Louisiana lawmaker has called publicly for McAllister to resign. Several have said it’s up to him to decide what’s best for him and his family.

Reacting to McAllister’s announcement that he won’t run for re-election, Rep. John Fleming, R-4th District, said Monday, “I respect his decision.”

Fleming and McAllister are members of the Natural Resources Committee, a key panel for the state. Neither attended a committee hearing Tuesday on jobs in the energy industry.

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s call for his resignation actually improved McAllister’s standing with his constituents and “drove people out to support me,’’ the congressman said.

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McAllister said he will spend his remaining months in office pushing for issues important to the district, including agriculture. He also said Congress should take action on a comprehensive immigration bill.

Last month, he introduced his first and only bill, which aims to stop the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from imposing what McAllister calls “unnecessary and costly regulations’’ on some companies.

‘’Do I think I could be as effective as I would have been had this not happened?” McAllister said. “Let’s be honest, no. It’s a cloud that will be there until it clears up. The issue is making sure the 5th District has a voice.’’

McAllister said he’s worked hard to repair the damage his videotaped kiss inflicted on his family.

“My wife is behind me 100 percent,” he said. “She’s here with me this week. There’s a silver lining to everything. I’m not dead and my kids are healthy, so that’s most important.’’

Some potential candidates have expressed interest in running to replace McAllister, including Republican state Sen. Neil Riser, whom McAllister defeated in November’s special election.

McAllister said he won’t decide which candidate to endorse until it’s clear who’s running.

“At this time I don’t know who the best candidate is,’’ he said. “I’m a loyal person. I’ll be loyal to those who were loyal to me.’’